Method and apparatus for identifying a single user requesting conflicting content and resolving said conflict

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for automatically determining when a single party is playing or requesting conflicting content on two different devices, and resolving the conflict accordingly. Systems automatically identify when a single user is playing back a content stream on one device, then requests another content stream on another device. If the two content streams conflict, the conflict is automatically resolved in a number of ways, including by automatically pausing or redirecting one of the content streams. Conflict identification may also be carried out with the assistance of an added state flag that indicates a device or stream that has audio priority in a conflict. Thus, for example, when one user requests two conflicting content streams, and only one stream is associated with the conditional audio enabled flag, audio of the flagged stream may be played, while the other stream is muted.

BACKGROUND

Embodiments of the disclosure relate generally to content playback onelectronic devices. More specifically, embodiments of the disclosurerelate to identifying a single user requesting conflicting content andresolving that conflict.

SUMMARY

The wide availability and selection of digital content, combined withthe large number of electronic devices available for its playback, meanthat consumers may select and play desired content on several differentscreens. This allows users great flexibility in where and how they mayview their content. Contemporary users can even elect to streamdiffering content on multiple devices simultaneously. For example, auser may discover interesting content on a laptop or tablet whilelistening to a podcast on his or her phone. Alternatively, users maywish to listen to background music while reading an e-book or articlesonline.

The ability to consume multiple different content streams concurrentlyis not without its difficulties, however. In particular, devicescurrently leave it to users to resolve their own conflicts, which canlead to excessive work and frustration. For instance, when usersdiscover other content while listening to a podcast, they often want topause the podcast while viewing the new content. In this manner, theycan pick up on the podcast once they are finished with the new content.However, users currently must pause the podcast themselves. The need tomanually implement content settings when multiple content streams areplaying is, as above, a source of user frustration.

Accordingly, to overcome the problems and limitations of such servicesand their interfaces, systems and methods are described herein for acomputer-based process that automatically determines when an individualis playing or requesting content playback on two different devices,determines whether the two content streams present a conflict, and ifso, resolves the conflict. Conflict resolution may be performed by, forinstance, pausing or muting one of the content streams. Morespecifically, a system automatically determines when a single user isrequesting playback of content on two different devices, and determineswhether the two content streams present a conflict. If so, the conflictis automatically resolved. For example, if the system determines that asingle user is listening to a podcast on one device and decides to readan e-book on another device, the system recognizes that no conflictlikely exists, as people can often read and listen simultaneously.However, if the system determines that the same user instead initiates aTed Talk® video on laptop, a conflict is deemed to occur, as peopletypically cannot pay full attention to each of two simultaneous audiotracks containing speech.

Accordingly, the podcast is automatically paused. Other examples existand are further explained below.

In more detail, a list of users is maintained, and the system determineswhen a single user on the list is both playing a first content stream onone device and requests a second content stream on another device. Ifso, the system then determines whether the two content streams conflict.If no conflict is deemed to be present, both content streams aretransmitted to the user. Conversely, if a conflict is deemed to occur,this conflict is resolved by pausing or redirecting one of the contentstreams.

The system does not require users to explicitly identify themselves whenthey are requesting content. Rather, the system automatically identifiesthe user associated with each requested content stream. Various methodsmay be employed to identify users. In one such method, information isstored associating each device with particular users and their userprofiles. For example, the system can store a user identifier for eachdifferent user, a device identifier associated with each contentplayback device and with one or more user identifiers, accountidentifiers for user accounts of content applications (e.g., userNetflix® accounts), and user profiles for each user or user identifier.

This stored information may be used to identify users of each device.For instance, the device identifier associated with a device currentlyrequesting content can be determined. If only one user identifier isassociated with this device identifier, it may be deemed that the usercorresponding to that user identifier is the one currently utilizing thedevice. Alternatively, if more than one user identifier is associatedwith the current device identifier, the correct user identifier may bedetermined according to a comparison of the content currently beingrequested to the user profiles of the various users associated with thecurrent device identifier. That is, if more than one user identifier isassociated with the current device identifier, the user profilescorresponding to each of these user identifiers are examined todetermine which compares most closely to the content currently beingrequested. The user whose profile most closely lines up with the currentcontent is deemed to be the current user.

Various embodiments also contemplate use of any other approach fordetermining the identity of a user from content being requested and/orthe device it is requested on. The above approaches, and any others, maybe used to determine the identity of the user of any device. That is,when content is requested on two different devices, the above and othermethods may be employed for each device, to separately determine theidentity of each device's user. If the determined users of the twodevices are the same, then it is also determined that the same user isrequesting simultaneous playback of two different content streams on twodifferent devices.

In one embodiment, a check is first performed to determine whether thecontent requested is the type of content that the identified user wouldtypically request. If not, then it is deemed that a different user isrequesting content. That is, a first user requesting content on a firstdevice is identified. When content is requested on a second device, andit is initially determined that the same user is requesting content onboth devices, a check is performed to verify that the same user isrequesting content on the second device. This check is performed bycomparison to the user profile of the identified user. As one example,the account identifier associated with the request for content on thesecond device can be determined, as can the user identifier associatedwith this account identifier. The corresponding user profile is thendetermined, and the content requested on the second device is comparedto the user profile, to determine whether the content matches a contentprofile listed in the user profile, i.e., a description of the contentthat the user prefers. If the content matches that listed in the userprofile, i.e., the content matches that which the user prefers, then itis confirmed that the user of the second device is the same as that ofthe first device. Conversely, if the content does not match the userprofile, then it is deemed that a different user is requesting contenton the second device, and thus no conflict exists.

Once it is confirmed that the same user is streaming content on twodifferent devices, the presence or absence of a conflict is determined.To assist in conflict determination, an audio/video type identifier isstored for each device identifier, where the audio/video type identifieris an indicator of the type of content the device is currently playing.Accordingly, the type identifier can be one of audio only, video only,and audio and video. The type of content playing on a device is thendetermined, and the type identifier for that device is set accordingly.In this manner, conflict can be determined by examination of the typeidentifiers currently set for two devices. When the audio/video typeidentifier of the first device is the same as that of the second device,i.e., each device on which content is requested has the same user andthe same type identifier, it is determined that a conflict exists. Thatis, if each device has its type identifier set to audio only, or each isset to video only, or each is set to audio and video, then the twocontent streams are deemed to interfere with each other, representing aconflict. For example, two audio only streams, such as two simultaneouspodcasts, would be difficult for a single user to listen to, and arethus deemed to conflict. Likewise, two video-and-audio streams, such astwo movies, would present the same difficulty and would also be deemedto conflict.

One way of resolving such a conflict involves a secondary audio or videooutput. That is, conflicts between content streams can be resolved byproviding another audio or video output to which one of the conflictingaudio/video streams can be directed. Once an audio conflict isdetermined, and if a secondary audio output is available, the audiosignal of the first content stream, or the audio of the first device, isdirected to the secondary audio output. If no secondary audio output isavailable, audio of the first device can be halted (first device muted)while its video stream continues. Thus, for example, if a user islistening to streaming music on headphones, and starts a podcast onanother device, the music is redirected to a less intrusive audio outputsuch as room speakers. Meanwhile, the podcast can play on the seconddevice, or be directed through the headphones connected to the firstdevice. Similarly, once a video conflict is determined, and if asecondary video output is available, the video signal of the firstcontent stream, i.e., the video of the first device, is directed to thesecondary video output. If no such secondary video output is available,video of the first device can be halted while its audio streamcontinues.

Another approach to conflict resolution involves use of a state flagthat designates a particular device or content stream as having audiopriority in a conflict. More specifically, when two conflicting contentstreams are requested, and one is flagged as having the audio prioritystate, the flagged audio stream is played and the unflagged stream ispaused or muted. Thus, it is determined when a single user is playing afirst content stream on a first device and concurrently requestsplayback of a second content stream on a second device. When this isdetermined to occur, and when one of the devices/streams is flagged ashaving this audio priority state while the other is not, both audio andvideo of the flagged device/stream are played, while only the video andnot the audio of the unflagged device/stream is played. This state maybe referred to as a “conditional audio enabled” state. Thus, in aconflict, the conditional audio enabled device or stream would have bothits audio and video played, while the conflicting device or stream wouldhave only its video played.

Either devices or content streams can be flagged conditional audioenabled. That is, any of the above described first device, seconddevice, first content stream, and second content stream can be labeledor flagged as conditional audio enabled.

The conditional audio enabled flag can be used to resolve conflicts inmultiple different ways. As one example, if both devices, or bothcontent streams, are flagged conditional audio enabled, and the twostreams are deemed as conflicting, the conflict can be resolved bypausing playback of the first content stream on the first device whileplaying back the content stream on the second device. That is, in aconflict between two conditional audio enabled devices or streams, thelater device/stream is played while the earlier one is paused. Asanother example, if both devices or both streams are flagged conditionalaudio enabled as above, but the first stream is paused before the secondstream is requested, the second stream is played while the first streamis kept as paused. Conversely, if neither device and neither stream isflagged as conditional audio enabled, the first content stream is pausedwhile the second stream is played back. That is, when no device orcontent stream is flagged as conditional audio enabled, conflicts areresolved by prioritizing the second device/stream over the first.

As still another example, if the first device or content stream isflagged as conditional audio enabled but the second device or stream isnot, and the first device is playing the video but not the audio of itscontent stream, the conflict is resolved by pausing video of the firstcontent stream, playing the audio of the first content stream, andplaying the video but not the audio of the second content stream. Thatis, conflict is resolved by playing the audio of the first stream, andvideo of the second stream. In another similar example, if the firstdevice or stream is flagged as conditional audio enabled but the seconddevice/stream is not, the second device is playing video but not audio,and the first stream is paused, the second stream is played in whole(audio and video). That is, if the user pauses the first stream, bothaudio and video of the second stream are played, as no conflict existsanymore.

If a device is playing audio only, or if a content stream is an audioonly stream such as a podcast, the device or stream can be designatedconditional audio enabled. As the device/stream plays only audio, itsaudio should be given priority.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The above and other objects and advantages of the disclosure will beapparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like referencecharacters refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system for detecting and resolvingconflicts when a user simultaneously requests content on differentdevices, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustration of the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a generalized embodiment of illustrative content consumptiondevices constructed for use according to embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a generalized embodiment of an illustrative content directiondevice constructed for use according to embodiments of the disclosure;

FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C are exemplary device, user, and content manifestsrespectively, for user identification and conflict determinationaccording to embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 6 is an exemplary conflict table for determining conflicts betweenvarious types of content;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating process steps for detecting andresolving conflicts when a user simultaneously requests content ondifferent devices, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating process steps for verifying whether aconflict exists;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating process steps for conflict resolutionwith and without a secondary audio output;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating process steps for conflictresolution with and without a secondary video output;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating process steps for conflict detectionand resolution utilizing a first state flag; and

FIGS. 12 and 13 are flowcharts illustrating further details of exemplaryconflict resolution processes utilizing the first state flag.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In one embodiment, the disclosure relates to systems and methods forautomatically determining when a single party is playing or requestingconflicting content on two different devices, and resolving the conflictaccordingly. Users that play back a content stream on one device, thenrequest another content stream on another device are identified. If itis determined that the same user is requesting or playing back bothcontent streams on both devices, a determination is made whether the twocontent streams conflict. If so, the conflict is automatically resolvedin a number of ways, including by automatically pausing or redirectingone of the content streams.

Conflict identification may be carried out with the assistance of anadded state flag that can be applied to either devices or contentstreams. This flag, which can be referred to as a “conditional audioenabled” flag, indicates a device or stream that has audio priority in aconflict. Thus, as an example, when one user requests two conflictingcontent streams, and only one stream is associated with the conditionalaudio enabled flag, the flagged stream plays at least its audio, whilethe other stream is muted.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system for detecting and resolvingconflicts when a user simultaneously requests content on differentdevices, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure. Here, system100 includes a first content consumption device 110 and a second contentconsumption device 130 both being used by the user shown. First andsecond content consumption devices 110, 130 each communicate withcontent direction device 120, which receives and forwards contentstreamed from content providers 140. In other words, content directiondevice 120 receives content from content providers 140 and transmits iton to the content consumption devices 110, 130 currently used by a user.

In operation of system 100, a user may be, for example, listening to apodcast on first content consumption device 110, which may be his or herphone. The podcast is streamed from the leftmost content provider 140 tocontent direction device 120, which in turn transmits the stream to theuser's phone. While listening to the podcast, the user also requestscontent on second content consumption device 130, which may be his orher TV, or alternatively may be a laptop or tablet computer. The usermay request, for example, a Netflix® show on device 130. In response,the content direction device 120 automatically determines whether theuser of device 130 is the same user as that of device 110. If not, i.e.content is being requested by two different users, the content directiondevice 120 finds that no conflict is occurring, and transmits twocontent streams from the respective content providers 140 to the devices110 and 130. Conversely, if device 120 determines that the same user isthe one requesting content on both devices 110 and 130, the device 120then determines whether the two content streams, i.e. a podcast and aNetflix® show, present a conflict. As both streams include audio, aconflict likely occurs, as the user would be forced to listen to twodifferent sources of dialog at the same time, which is often difficult.In this case, the content direction device 120 automatically resolvesthe conflict. Resolution of conflicts can be performed in any number ofdifferent ways. For example, content direction device 120 may pause oneof the streams, mute one of the streams, or direct the audio of onestream to a different audio output device not shown.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram representation of the system of FIG. 1,presented for further illustration. Any number of content consumptiondevices 110 and 130 may be in communication with content directiondevice 120 through, for example, a local area network 200. The contentdirection device 120 is in electronic communication with contentprovider 140 through communications network 210. As one example, thecontent consumption devices 110 and 130, local area network 200, andcontent direction device 120 may all be situated within a local area,e.g., within various rooms of a home or office. The content provider 140may be a remotely located server at a content provider site, and thecommunications network 210 may be the public Internet. Alternatively,the content provider 140 may be situated within the local area and maybe, for example, a local content storage and streaming application on alocal computer including any of the above computing devices, or even astorage and application within the content direction device 120 itself.As in FIG. 1, multiple content providers 140 may be in communicationwith content direction device 120 through communications network 210.

As above, a user may be watching a show on first content consumptiondevice 110, at which point the content provider 140 is providing astream of the show through communications network 210 to contentdirection device 120. The content direction device 120 in turn receivesthis stream and directs it to device 110 over local area network 200.When the user requests another show or other stream on one of the secondcontent consumption devices 130, the content direction device 120verifies that the same user is the one requesting content on bothdevices 110 and 130. Upon verification that it is the same user, thecontent direction device 120 determines whether the two streams conflictand, if so, resolves the conflict. As above, resolution of the conflictcan be performed in different ways, including pausing the streamdirected to device 110, pausing the stream directed to device 130,directing the audio stream of the first device 110 to another device, orthe like.

The content consumption devices 110, 130 may be any devices capable ofreceiving streamed content and executing playback for users. Forexample, content consumption devices 110, 130 may be digital TVs, laptopcomputers, smartphones, tablet computers, or the like. FIG. 3 shows ageneralized embodiment of an illustrative user equipment device 300 thatmay serve as a content consumption device. User equipment device 300 mayreceive content and data via input/output (hereinafter “I/O”) path 302.I/O path 302 may provide content (e.g., broadcast programming, on-demandprogramming, Internet content, content available over a local areanetwork (LAN) or wide area network (WAN), and/or other content) and datato control circuitry 304, which includes processing circuitry 306 andstorage 308. Control circuitry 304 may be used to send and receivecommands, requests, and other suitable data using I/O path 302. I/O path302 may connect control circuitry 304 (and specifically processingcircuitry 306) to one or more communications paths (described below).I/O functions may be provided by one or more of these communicationspaths, but are shown as a single path in FIG. 3 to avoidovercomplicating the drawing.

Control circuitry 304 may be based on any suitable processing circuitrysuch as processing circuitry 306. As referred to herein, processingcircuitry should be understood to mean circuitry based on one or moremicroprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors,programmable logic devices, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs),application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc., and may includea multi-core processor (e.g., dual-core, quad-core, hexa-core, or anysuitable number of cores). In some embodiments, processing circuitry maybe distributed across multiple separate processors or processing units,for example, multiple of the same type of processing units (e.g., twoIntel Core i7 processors) or multiple different processors (e.g., anIntel Core i5 processor and an Intel Core i7 processor). In someembodiments, control circuitry 304 executes instructions for receivingstreamed content and executing playback, such as executing applicationprograms that provide interfaces for content providers 140 to stream anddisplay content.

Control circuitry 304 may thus include communications circuitry suitablefor communicating with a content provider 140 server or other networksor servers. Communications circuitry may include a cable modem, anintegrated services digital network (ISDN) modem, a digital subscriberline (DSL) modem, a telephone modem, Ethernet card, or a wireless modemfor communications with other equipment, or any other suitablecommunications circuitry. Such communications may involve the Internetor any other suitable communications networks or paths. In addition,communications circuitry may include circuitry that enables peer-to-peercommunication of user equipment devices, or communication of userequipment devices in locations remote from each other.

Memory may be an electronic storage device provided as storage 308 thatis part of control circuitry 304. As referred to herein, the phrase“electronic storage device” or “storage device” should be understood tomean any device for storing electronic data, computer software, orfirmware, such as random-access memory, read-only memory, hard drives,optical drives, digital video disc (DVD) recorders, compact disc (CD)recorders, BLU-RAY disc (BD) recorders, BLU-RAY 3D disc recorders,digital video recorders (DVR, sometimes called a personal videorecorder, or PVR), solid state devices, quantum storage devices, gamingconsoles, gaming media, or any other suitable fixed or removable storagedevices, and/or any combination of the same. Storage 308 may be used tostore various types of content described herein as well as mediaguidance data described above. Nonvolatile memory may also be used(e.g., to launch a boot-up routine and other instructions). Cloud-basedstorage may be used to supplement storage 308 or instead of storage 308.

Control circuitry 304 may include video generating circuitry and tuningcircuitry, such as one or more analog tuners, one or more MPEG-2decoders or other digital decoding circuitry, high-definition tuners, orany other suitable tuning or video circuits or combinations of suchcircuits. Encoding circuitry (e.g., for converting over-the-air, analog,or digital signals to MPEG signals for storage) may also be included.Control circuitry 304 may also include scaler circuitry for upconvertingand downconverting content into the preferred output format of the userequipment 300. Circuitry 304 may also include digital-to-analogconverter circuitry and analog-to-digital converter circuitry forconverting between digital and analog signals. The tuning and encodingcircuitry may be used by the user equipment device to receive and todisplay, to play, or to record content. The tuning and encodingcircuitry may also be used to receive guidance data. The circuitrydescribed herein, including for example, the tuning, video generating,encoding, decoding, encrypting, decrypting, scaler, and analog/digitalcircuitry, may be implemented using software running on one or moregeneral purpose or specialized processors. Multiple tuners may beprovided to handle simultaneous tuning functions (e.g., watch and recordfunctions, picture-in-picture (PIP) functions, multiple-tuner recording,etc.). If storage 308 is provided as a separate device from userequipment 300, the tuning and encoding circuitry (including multipletuners) may be associated with storage 308.

A user may send instructions to control circuitry 304 using user inputinterface 310. User input interface 310 may be any suitable userinterface, such as a remote control, mouse, trackball, keypad, keyboard,touch screen, touchpad, stylus input, joystick, voice recognitioninterface, or other user input interfaces. Display 312 may be providedas a stand-alone device or integrated with other elements of userequipment device 300. For example, display 312 may be a touchscreen ortouch-sensitive display. In such circumstances, user input interface 310may be integrated with or combined with display 312. Display 312 may beone or more of a monitor, a television, a liquid crystal display (LCD)for a mobile device, amorphous silicon display, low temperature polysilicon display, electronic ink display, electrophoretic display, activematrix display, electro-wetting display, electrofluidic display, cathoderay tube display, light-emitting diode display, electroluminescentdisplay, plasma display panel, high-performance addressing display,thin-film transistor display, organic light-emitting diode display,surface-conduction electron-emitter display (SED), laser television,carbon nanotubes, quantum dot display, interferometric modulatordisplay, or any other suitable equipment for displaying visual images.In some embodiments, display 312 may be HDTV-capable. In someembodiments, display 312 may be a 3D display, and the interactive mediaguidance application and any suitable content may be displayed in 3D. Avideo card or graphics card may generate the output to the display 312.The video card may offer various functions such as accelerated renderingof 3D scenes and 2D graphics, MPEG-2/MPEG-4 decoding, TV output, or theability to connect multiple monitors. The video card may be anyprocessing circuitry described above in relation to control circuitry304. The video card may be integrated with the control circuitry 304.Speakers 314 may be provided as integrated with other elements of userequipment device 300 or may be stand-alone units. The audio component ofvideos and other content displayed on display 312 may be played throughspeakers 314. In some embodiments, the audio may be distributed to areceiver (not shown), which processes and outputs the audio via speakers314.

FIG. 4 is a generalized embodiment of an illustrative content directiondevice 120 constructed for use according to embodiments of thedisclosure. Here, device 400 may serve as a content direction device.Device 400 may receive content and data via I/O paths 402 and 404. I/Opath 402 may provide content and data to the various content consumptiondevices 110 and 130, while I/O path 404 may provide data to, and receivecontent from, one or more content providers 140. Like the user equipmentdevice 300, the device 400 has control circuitry 406 which includesprocessing circuitry 408 and storage 410. The control circuitry 406,processing circuitry 408, and storage 410 may be constructed, and mayoperate, similar to the respective components of user equipment device300.

Storage 410 is a memory that stores a number of programs for executionby processing circuitry 408. In particular, storage 410 may store anumber of device interfaces 412, content provider interfaces 414,manifests 416 described further below, and data transfer routines 418.The device interfaces 412 are interface programs for handling theexchange of commands and data with the various content consumptiondevices 110, 130. Content provider interfaces 414 are interface programsfor handling the exchange of commands and content streams with variouscontent providers 140, and are programmed to exchange commands andcontent similar to a corresponding application program on a contentconsumption device 110, 130. A separate interface 414 may exist for eachdifferent content provider 140 that has its own format for commands orcontent. Data transfer module 418 handles routing of content streamsfrom the content providers 140 to the appropriate content consumptiondevices 110, 130. That is, module 418 contains routines for redirectingcontent streams received from content providers 140 to specific contentconsumption devices 110, 130. If content is stored within device 400itself, it may be stored in storage 410 along with an applicationprogram that streams the stored content to a destination specified asbelow.

The device 400 may be any electronic device capable of receiving contentstreams and transferring them to one or more content consumption devices110, 130. For example, the device 400 may be a networked in-home smartdevice connected between a home modem and various content consumptiondevices 110, 130. The device 400 may alternatively be a laptop computeror desktop computer configured as above.

FIGS. 5A-5C are exemplary manifests 416 for user identification andconflict determination according to embodiments of the disclosure. Themanifests 416 shown in FIGS. 5A-5C are device, user, and contentmanifests respectively. FIG. 5A illustrates an exemplary device manifestwhich stores device identifiers DID and the associated device type anddevice state. Each device identifier DID corresponds to a single contentconsumption device 110, 130. That is, each device 110, 130 is assigned aunique identifier DID. The device type describes the mode or modes thatthe device can play, i.e., audio (A), video (V), or audio and video(A/V). The device state indicates whether the corresponding device iscurrently receiving a content stream or not. Thus, the device manifestof FIG. 5A can be stored as one of the manifests 416 to indicate toprocessing circuitry 408 that three devices, DID₁, DID₂, and DID₄ areconnected to content direction device 400 and currently receivingcontent, where DID₁ is receiving audio and video streams, while DID₂ andDID₄ are both receiving only audio streams.

The content direction device 120 constantly maintains and updates itsdevice manifest as the devices connected thereto, and their states,change with time. The device 120 may construct and maintain its devicemanifest in any manner. In one embodiment, device 120 detects eachcontent consumption device 110, 130 as it powers on and registers withlocal area network 200, and assigns each device 110, 130 a uniquenumber. The state and type fields can be updated when the device 120transmits content to the corresponding content consumption device 110,130.

FIG. 5B illustrates an exemplary user manifest which relates users totheir devices, accounts, and user profiles. Each user is assigned aunique user identifier UID. Each user identifier UID is associated withone or more device identifiers DID, corresponding to the devices thatthe user has used at one time. The user manifest also stores accountidentifiers AID for each account maintained by one of the users with oneof the content providers 140. Additionally, the user manifest storespointers to user profiles P_UID, which are unique user profiles for eachuser. The user profiles may also be stored in storage 410 or elsewhereas appropriate.

The user manifest can be built over time, as various users use thedevices 110, 130. Initially, each device 110, 130 can be assigned oneuser UID, and as users add accounts, the account identifiers AID arestored for each device DID that account is used on. A user profile UIDis generated or retrieved for each UID, along with a pointer P_UID tothat profile. Users can be added as new users register, new devices areadded, as new accounts are added, or as comparison of the user profilesindicates that someone is requesting content that does not fit anyexisting user profile. The determination of a new user by negativecomparison to existing profiles is known, and any such method iscontemplated by the instant disclosure.

FIG. 5C illustrates an exemplary content manifest which is a record ofdevices that play content. When a device begins playing back content,the processor 408 records the time t at which playback begins, a contentidentifier CID from the content provider 140 or perhaps metadata of thecontent stream, the content provider 140 identifier CSID, associateddevice identifier DID, user identifier UID of the user determined to berequesting the content, content type, and content state. The contenttype is a type identifier for the content, taken from the contentprovider 140, stream format, or metadata, and is used in determiningwhether a conflict exists, as is further described below. The contentstate indicates whether the content is currently being streamed, and canindicate which stream (e.g., audio or video) is being streamed and whichis not. For example, in the content manifest of FIG. 5C, device DID₃begins streaming a video at time t₂, with the audio muted (0) but thevideo playing (1). The video is played from account AID₄, which isassociated with users UID₁ and UID₂ although it cannot be determinedwhich user was using the account at that time. The content manifest isupdated when a new content stream begins or changes state, i.e., ispaused, stopped, muted, or the like.

Storing the information in the manifests of FIGS. 5A-5C allows thecontent direction device 120 to determine when a single user isrequesting content on two different devices. When the content directiondevice 120 receives a request to stream content, it determines thedevice identifier DID of the device from which it receives the request,and the account identifier AID of the account that generated therequest. From this information, corresponding user identifiers UID aredetermined with reference to the manifest of FIG. 5B. If only one useridentifier UID is associated with the device that requested the content,or only a single UID is associated with the AID that generated therequest, that user can be deemed to be the user currently requestingcontent. If multiple UIDs are associated with the DID and AID, thecorrect user is determined from among the common users by comparison ofthe requested content to the user profiles (retrieved with associatedpointer P_UID) of each common user. The profile expressing a preferencefor content that most closely matches the requested content may bedeemed to identify the correct user. Such user identification processesare known. The present disclosure contemplates the selection of acorrect user from among multiple candidates, with reference to userprofiles, in any manner. The user identification steps herein may alsobe repeated when content is requested on a second device, to identifywhen the same user is simultaneously requesting two different contentstreams on two different devices.

Once it is determined that a single user is simultaneously requestingtwo different content streams on two different devices, it is thendetermined whether these two streams present a conflict. In oneembodiment, this determination is made with reference to a conflicttable which describes the situations in which a conflict is, or is not,deemed to occur. FIG. 6 is an exemplary conflict table for determiningconflicts between various types of content. The table can be storedalong with the manifests 416 as part of storage 410.

The table lists content types on each axis, with conflicting contenttypes indicated with an “x”. Each axis represents one content stream onone device. In operation, processor 408 determines a conflict byconsulting the content manifest of FIG. 5C to determine the content typeof the currently playing stream, and determines the content type of therequested stream. The processor 408 then looks up the two content typeson the table of FIG. 6 to determine whether a conflict exists, i.e.,whether the corresponding table entry has an “x” or not. Thus, forexample, a first device playing a video with dialog (Video_Dialog) wouldrepresent a conflict with a second device that requests play of an audiobook (Audio_Book), as both have audio streams that would be difficultfor a single user to follow when played simultaneously. Conversely, afirst device playing an audio book (Audio_Book) and a second devicerequesting play of a video with muted or no audio (Video_audio_mute)does not present a conflict, as one is audio-only and the other isvideo-only. It is noted that the information of FIG. 6 is exemplary, andembodiments of the disclosure encompass conflicts determined in anymanner. In particular, the table of FIG. 6 may vary in differentembodiments, with conflicts found for different combinations of contenttypes than those of FIG. 6.

Attention now turns to further details of the processes of thedisclosure. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating process steps fordetecting and resolving conflicts when a user simultaneously requestscontent on different devices, in accordance with embodiments of thedisclosure. From a predetermined list or set of users, a particular userplaying a first content stream on a first device is determined (Step700). As above, content direction device 120 stores user identifiers UIDeach associated with a different user, device identifiers DID eachassociated with a different content consumption device 110 or 130 andeach associated with one or more UIDs, account identifiers AID eachassociated with a user identifier UID and identifying a user account ofone of the content providers 140, and user profiles (pointed to by userprofile pointers P_UID) each associated with a UID. These identifiersmay be stored in storage 410 in the form of the manifests of FIGS.5A-5C, although the disclosure encompasses storage of such identifiersin any manner and within any data structures which are retrievable foruse in identifying which users are using which content consumptiondevices 110, 130.

The stored identifiers are used as above, to determine which UID isassociated with the first content stream on the first device 110, 130.As above, if there is only one UID associated with the DID of the firstdevice, then this UID may be deemed as the UID of the user requestingthe first content stream. If more than one UID is associated with theDID, then the correct UID is determined by comparing the content of thefirst content stream to the user profiles of those UIDs associated withthe DID.

Once the correct UID for the first content stream is determined, thecontent direction device 120 may detect a request for a second contentstream on a second content consumption device 110, 130 (Step 710). TheUID for this request can be determined in the same manner as for thefirst content stream, or alternatively may be determined as furtherexplained below. A comparison between the two UIDs is then made (Step720). If the two UIDs are not the same, then the two content consumptiondevices 110, 130 are being watched by two different users, and there isno conflict. The second content stream is then streamed to the seconddevice 110/130 (Step 740), whereupon the process ends. However, if thetwo UIDs are the same, then the same user is deemed to be requesting twodifferent content streams, raising the possibility of a conflict. Thecontent type of each stream is retrieved, and the table of FIG. 6 isconsulted to determine whether a conflict is presented (Step 730). Ifnot, then the process continues to Step 740, and the second contentstream is streamed to the second device 110/130. On the other hand, if aconflict is determined to exist according to, e.g., the information ofFIG. 6, the content direction device 120 automatically resolves theconflict (Step 750). Conflict resolution is accomplished in any manner.As one example, the first stream may simply be paused while the secondstream is played on the second device, or conversely the second streammay be loaded in a pause state, i.e. immediately paused once streaminghas begun, with the option given to resume playback, whereupon the firststream may be paused. Alternatively, the first stream/device may bemuted when streaming of the second stream commences. That is, the firstvideo stream may continue to be played while the first audio stream ispaused, and both the audio and video streams of the second contentstream commence streaming. Other approaches for conflict resolution arefurther described below. The embodiments of the disclosure contemplateall these and other approaches to conflict resolution.

As above, when the content direction device 120 receives a request for asecond content stream on a second device, the content direction device120 determines whether the request originates from the same user asrequested the first content stream on the first device. This correspondsto Step 720 of FIG. 7. This Step may be carried out in any manner, suchas by the processes described above. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustratingfurther details of an exemplary process for determining the identity ofthe user requesting the second content stream. Once the contentdirection device 120 receives a request for a second content stream on asecond device 110/130, the device 120 determines the account identifierAID associated with the request for the second content stream, i.e., theAID of the account from which the request was issued. This waspreviously described above with reference to Step 700. From this AID,the content direction device 120 determines the associated UID (Step800). As above, there may be more than one associated UID. If so, thedevice 120 then determines the user profiles of each associated UID,using the pointers P_UID to each associated UID (Step 810). The contentof the second content stream is then compared to each user profile, todetermine whether the content matches the content profile of the user(Step 820). This comparison can be performed in any manner. For example,user profiles may contain a list of content genres that the associateduser prefers, or a list of genres that the user does not wish to watch.The genre or genres of the second content stream (as determined, forinstance, from metadata of the second content stream or from the contentserver 140) can thus be compared to each user profile's lists todetermine a match. The user profile whose lists most closely match thegenre(s) of the second content stream can be deemed to be the userprofile of the user requesting the second content stream. Alternatively,if the content of the second content stream does not match any lists ofthe user profiles, i.e. if the requested content does not fit theprofile of any associated user, the content direction device determinesthat a different user is requesting the second content stream, and thusthat no conflict exists (Step 830).

The steps of FIG. 8 may be performed as above in connection with Step720, once the second content stream is requested. Alternatively, or inaddition, the steps of FIG. 8 may also be performed after Step 720 iscomplete, i.e., after it is determined (through some other mannerbesides the process of FIG. 8) that the same user is requesting bothcontent streams. For example, the steps of FIG. 8 may be performed as acheck to verify that the determination of a same user for both contentstreams is indeed correct. Thus, for example, Step 720 may determine asame user by determining that only one UID is associated with the seconddevice 110/130, but then the process of FIG. 8 may be carried out todetermine that the user requesting the second content stream is actuallydifferent from that of the first content stream. This may occur, forinstance, when the owner of a device 110/130 lends it to his or herchild, who then requests content using the owner's account. In thissituation, Step 720 may determine that the same user is requesting thesecond content stream, since the device and the account used to requestthe second stream are both associated with the owner. However, theprocess of FIG. 8 may then determine that the actual user is the owner'schild, based on the child requesting content different from that whichthe owner typically requests (e.g., children's programs).

As previously described, embodiments of the disclosure contemplate manydifferent conflict resolution processes. Some of these processes involveuse of secondary audio and video outputs. FIGS. 9 and 10 illustratefurther details of the conflict resolution process when a secondaryaudio or video output is available. This secondary audio or video outputmay be any other device that can output video and/or audio streams ofthe first or second requested content streams. For instance, thesecondary audio or video output may be networked speakers incommunication with content direction device 120 via local area network200, another content consumption device 110, 130, or the like.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating process steps for conflict resolutionwith and without a secondary audio output. As above, an audio/video typeidentifier (A, V, or A/V) may be stored for each device currentlyplaying or requesting a content stream. When one user is determined tobe requesting first and second content streams on first and seconddevices 110, 130, the content direction device 120 determines theaudio/video type identifier of each device from, e.g., the devicemanifest of FIG. 5A. The device 120 then determines whether there is anaudio conflict, i.e., if the audio/video type identifier associated withthe first device and the audio/video type identifier associated with thesecond device are each A or A/V. If so (Step 900), the content directiondevice 120 determines whether a secondary audio output is available(Step 910). If no secondary audio output is available, then the device120 halts audio output of the first content stream and continues videooutput of the content stream on the first device 110, 130 (Step 920).That is, if no secondary audio output is available, then in the event ofan audio conflict, the device 120 plays the requested second stream onthe second device 110, 130, and plays only the video stream of the firstcontent stream on the first device 110, 130. Thus, the first contentstream is muted while the second content stream plays. In this manner,the user may listen to the second device 110, 130 while continuing towatch the first device 110, 130. Conflict is resolved by playing onlyone audio stream (the second) for the user, while also playing bothvideo streams.

If a secondary audio output is available, i.e., device 120 determinesthat another device on local area network 200 is currently capable ofand available for audio output, the device 120 directs the audio signalof the first content stream to the secondary audio output (Step 930). Ifpresent, the video signal of the first content stream continues to bedirected to the first device, and the second content stream is directedto the second device. Thus, the first device plays mute, while the audioof its content stream is sent to the secondary audio output and thesecond content stream plays on the second device.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating process steps for conflictresolution with and without a secondary video output. As with FIG. 9above, when one user is determined to be requesting first and secondcontent streams on first and second devices 110, 130, the contentdirection device 120 determines the audio/video type identifier of eachdevice from, e.g., the device manifest of FIG. 5A. The device 120 thendetermines if there is a video conflict, i.e., if the audio/video typeidentifier associated with the first device and the audio/video typeidentifier associated with the second device are each V or A/V. If so(Step 1000), then the content direction device 120 determines whether asecondary video output is available (Step 1010), such as by determiningwhether another device on local area network 200 is currently availablefor and capable of video output. If none is available, the device 120halts video output of the first content stream but continues audiooutput of the first content stream (Step 1020). The second contentstream is also played on the second device. Thus, the second contentstream is played as normal, while only the audio of the first contentstream is played, thus resolving conflict between video outputs. On theother hand, if a secondary video output is available, the contentdirection device 120 directs the video signal of the first contentstream to the secondary video output (Step 1030), while the audio signalof the first content stream continues to be directed to the firstdevice. Meanwhile, the second content stream is streamed to the seconddevice.

When the type identifier of both devices is A/V, that is the conflict isbetween two streams that each have both audio and video, the processesof both FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 may apply. In this case, the contentdirection device 120 may use the process corresponding to the availablesecondary output. That is, if only a secondary audio output isavailable, the process of FIG. 9 may be used, whereas if only asecondary video output is available, the process of FIG. 10 may be used.If both a secondary audio and a secondary video output are available,the device 120 may utilize either the process of FIG. 9 or that of FIG.10, as preferred.

Another conflict resolution approach contemplated by embodiments of thedisclosure involves use of a state flag that can be referred to as a“conditional audio enabled” (CAE) flag. The conditional audio enabled orCAE flag indicates audio priority in a conflict. When a conflict isdeemed to occur, and when one of the devices/streams is flagged ashaving this audio priority state while the other is not, both audio andvideo of the flagged device/stream is played, while only the video andnot the audio of the unflagged device/stream is played.

The CAE flag can be a setting stored by the content direction device 120for each of its content consumption devices 110, 130, and may bedetermined according to properties of the devices 110, 130, or thecontent they play, in any manner. For example, the content directiondevice 120 can flag each of its content consumption devices 110, 130 asbeing in the CAE state based on any criteria, e.g., the flag may be setby the user, the first device a user plays may be flagged CAE if it hasaudio capability and the first content stream includes an audio stream,or the like. Any one or more criteria are contemplated. Alternatively,the content direction device 120 may determine the setting of the CAEflag by content. For instance, metadata in a requested content streammay indicate whether that content is CAE content or not. The contentdirection device 120 may also automatically flag certain content as CAEbased on various criteria, such as when content has only an audio streamand no video stream.

The CAE flag is used in conflict resolution. Accordingly, the contentdirection device first determines the UID of the user playing a firstcontent stream on a first device 110, 130 and concurrently requestingplayback of a second content stream on a second device 110, 130 (Step1100). This step may be performed as previously described. It is thendetermined whether the two content streams present a conflict. If so,the content direction device 120 determines whether only one of thestreams or only one of the devices is flagged CAE. If so, then thecontent direction device 120 plays both audio and video of the contentstream associated with the CAE flag, and plays only the video of thecontent stream not associated with the CAE flag (Step 1110). That is, ina conflict, the device or content stream flagged CAE is played with bothaudio and video, while the device or content stream not flagged CAE isplayed without audio.

The CAE flag may also be used to resolve other situations that presentconflicts. FIGS. 12 and 13 are flowcharts illustrating further detailsof exemplary conflict resolution processes utilizing the CAE flag. Oncea conflict is presented, the content direction device 120 determineswhether the first device 110, 130 or content stream is flagged CAE (Step1200). If not, then the process continues to FIG. 13, which is furtherexplained below. However, if the first device or stream is flagged CAE,the content direction device 120 then determines whether the firstcontent stream is also paused (Step 1210). If so, then the conflict isresolved by keeping the first content stream paused on the first device110, 130, and playing the second stream on the second device 110, 130(Step 1220). If the first content stream has not been paused, then thecontent direction device 120 checks whether the second device 110, 130or second content stream has been flagged CAE (Step 1230). If so, thenthe conflict is between two devices/content streams that have both beenflagged CAE. In this case, the content direction device 120 pauses thefirst stream on the first device 110, 130, and plays the second streamon the second device 110, 130 (Step 1240). If not, i.e., if the firstdevice/stream is flagged CAE but the second device/stream is not, thenthe content direction device 120 checks whether the second contentstream has been muted (Step 1250), i.e., is currently playing in a mutestate. If not, then conflict is resolved by playing the first stream onthe first device 110, 130, and playing the second stream in mute on thesecond device 110, 130 (Step 1260). That is, the first stream is playedback on the first device 110, 130, and only the video stream, not theaudio stream, of the second content stream is played on the seconddevice 110, 130.

If the second content stream has already been muted, then the contentdirection device 120 determines whether the first content stream hasbeen paused by the user (Step 1270). If so, i.e., if the conflict isbetween a paused first content stream flagged CAE and a muted secondcontent stream not flagged CAE, then the first stream is kept in itspaused state while the second content stream is unmuted (Step 1290).That is, conflict is resolved by keeping the first content stream pausedand unmuting the second content stream, so that both its audio and videoare played back. If, on the other hand, the first content stream has notbeen paused by the user, then the conflict is instead resolved byplaying the first content stream on the first device 110, 130 andplaying the second stream in mute on the second device 110, 130 (Step1280). Thus, if the conflict is between a (non-paused) first contentstream flagged CAE and a muted second content stream not flagged CAE,then the conflict is resolved by continuing play of the first contentstream and muting the second content stream.

Returning to Step 1200, if the first device 110, 130 or first contentstream is not flagged CAE, then the process proceeds to FIG. 13, wherethe content direction device determines if the first content stream hasbeen paused (Step 1300). If so, then the conflict is resolved bycontinuing to pause the first content stream on the first device 110,130, and playing the second content stream on the second device 110, 130(Step 1310). However, if the first content stream has not been paused,i.e., if the first content stream is currently playing when a conflictis determined, then the content direction device 120 determines whetherthe first content stream is playing in mute, or only the video streambut not the audio stream of the first content stream is being played(Step 1320). If so, then the content direction device 120 checks whetherthe second device 110, 130 or second content stream is flagged CAE (Step1340). If it has, then conflict is resolved by playing the first streammute on the first device 110, 130, and playing the entire second contentstream on the second device 110, 130 (Step 1330). On the other hand, ifthe second device 110, 130 or second content stream is not flagged CAE,then conflict is resolved by unmuting the first content stream andplaying the second content stream on mute (Step 1350). Thus, if theconflict is between a first non-CAE content stream playing mute and asecond content stream flagged CAE, the first stream is kept in its mutestate while the second stream is played in its entirety (audio andvideo). Alternatively, if the conflict is between two non-CAE streams,the first of which is already muted, then the conflict is resolved bypausing and unmuting the first stream and playing the second stream onmute.

If, after Step 1320, the first content stream is not muted, then thecontent direction device checks whether the second content stream orsecond device 110, 130 is flagged CAE (Step 1360). If so, i.e., if theconflict is between a first content stream not flagged CAE and a secondcontent stream flagged CAE, then the first stream is muted and played,while the second stream is played (Step 1370). That is, the non-CAEcontent stream is muted but its video is played, and both the audio andvideo of the CAE content stream are played. On the other hand, ifneither the first device/stream nor the second device/stream is flaggedCAE, then the conflict is between two non-CAE devices/streams. In thiscase, the content direction device 120 resolves the conflict by pausingthe first stream on the first device 110, 130, and playing the secondstream on the second device 110, 130 (Step 1380).

The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specificnomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosure.However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specificdetails are not required to practice the methods and systems of thedisclosure. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments ofthe present invention are presented for purposes of illustration anddescription. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications andvariations are possible in view of the above teachings. For example, thedetermination of user identity for each requested content stream may beperformed in any manner, as can the comparison of content to a userprofile. Likewise, embodiments of the disclosure contemplate anyapproach to resolving conflicts for any two content streams, whether bya CAE or other flag, or by any other approach to determining thepriority of each content stream. The embodiments were chosen anddescribed in order to best explain the principles of the invention andits practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the artto best utilize the methods and systems of the disclosure and variousembodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particularuse contemplated. Additionally, different features of the variousembodiments, disclosed or otherwise, can be mixed and matched orotherwise combined so as to create further embodiments contemplated bythe disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of identifying a user requestingplayback of multiple content streams, the method comprising:determining, from a list of users, an active user playing a firstcontent stream on a first device; detecting a request for a secondcontent stream on a second device; determining whether the active userinitiated the request for the second content stream; if the active userinitiated the request for the second content stream, determining whethera conflict exists between the first content stream on the first deviceand the second content stream on the second device, wherein thedetermining whether the conflict exists comprises determining whetherthe first content stream and the second content stream are of a samecontent type; and if the conflict exists, resolving the conflict bypausing or redirecting one of the first content stream and the secondcontent stream.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: storinguser identifiers each associated with a different user; storing deviceidentifiers each associated with a different content playback device andwith one or more of the user identifiers, the first device and thesecond device each being one of the content playback devices; storingaccount identifiers each associated with a user identifier andmaintained for access to content stored by a content provider; andstoring user profiles each associated with one of the user identifiers.3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining an active user playinga first content stream on a first device further comprises: determiningthe device identifier associated with the first device; and if only oneof the active user identifiers is associated with the determined deviceidentifier, determining that the only one user identifier is associatedwith the active user.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determiningan active user playing a first content stream on a first device furthercomprises: if more than one of the user identifiers is associated withthe determined device identifier, determining the user identifierassociated with the user according to a comparison of the content of thefirst content stream to the stored user profiles associated with themore than one of the user identifiers.
 5. The method of claim 2, whereinthe determining whether the active user initiated the request for thesecond content stream further comprises: determining the deviceidentifier associated with the second device; and if only one of theuser identifiers is associated with the determined device identifier,determining that the only one user identifier is associated with theactive user.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the determining whetherthe active user initiated the request for the second content streamfurther comprises: if more than one of the user identifiers isassociated with the determined device identifier, determining the useridentifier associated with the active user according to a comparison ofthe content of the second content stream to the stored user profilesassociated with the more than one of the user identifiers.
 7. The methodof claim 2, further comprising: determining the account identifierassociated with the request for the second content stream; determiningthe user identifier associated with the determined account identifier;determining the user profile associated with the determined useridentifier; comparing the content of the second content stream to thedetermined user profile to determine whether the content of the secondcontent stream matches a content profile of the determined user profile;and if the content of the second content stream does not match thecontent profile, determining that the conflict does not exist.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: storing a content manifestcomprising: the device identifiers of devices playing content streams;and content type identifiers of the content streams being played.
 9. Themethod of claim 8: further comprising storing an audio/video typeidentifier associated with each of the stored device identifiers of thecontent manifest, each audio/video type identifier being an identifiercorresponding to audio only, video only, or audio and video; wherein thedetermining whether a conflict exists further comprises determining thatthe conflict exists: when the audio/video type identifier associatedwith the first device and the audio/video type identifier associatedwith the second device each correspond to audio only or to audio andvideo; and when the audio/video type identifier associated with thefirst device and the audio/video type identifier associated with thesecond device each correspond to video only or to audio and video. 10.The method of claim 1, wherein: determining whether the conflict is anaudio conflict or a video conflict; if the conflict is an audioconflict, determining whether a secondary audio output is available,and: if a secondary audio output is available, directing an audio signalof the first content stream to the secondary audio output; and if asecondary audio output is not available, halting audio output of thefirst content stream while continuing video output of the first contentstream to the first device; and if the conflict is a video conflict,determining whether a secondary video output is available, and: if asecondary video output is available, directing a video signal of thefirst content stream to the secondary video output; and if a secondaryvideo output is not available, halting video output of the first contentstream while continuing audio output of the first content stream to thefirst device.
 11. A system for identifying a user requesting playback ofmultiple content streams, the system comprising: a storage device; andcontrol circuitry configured to: determine, from a list of users, anactive user playing a first content stream on a first device; detect arequest for a second content stream on a second device; determinewhether the active user initiated the request for the second contentstream; if the active user initiated the request for the second contentstream, determine whether a conflict exists between the first contentstream on the first device and the second content stream on the seconddevice, wherein the determining whether the conflict exists comprisesdetermining whether the first content stream and the second contentstream are of a same content type; and if the conflict exists, resolvethe conflict by pausing or redirecting one of the first content streamand the second content stream.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein thecontrol circuitry is further configured to: store user identifiers eachassociated with a different user; store device identifiers eachassociated with a different content playback device and with one or moreof the user identifiers, the first device and the second device eachbeing one of the content playback devices; store account identifierseach associated with a user identifier and maintained for access tocontent stored by a content provider; and store user profiles eachassociated with one of the user identifiers.
 13. The system of claim 12,wherein the determining a user playing a first content stream on a firstdevice further comprises: determining the device identifier associatedwith the first device; and if only one of the user identifiers isassociated with the determined device identifier, determining that theonly one user identifier is associated with the active user.
 14. Thesystem of claim 13, wherein the determining a user playing a firstcontent stream on a first device further comprises: if more than one ofthe user identifiers is associated with the determined deviceidentifier, determining the user identifier associated with the activeuser according to a comparison of the content of the first contentstream to the stored user profiles associated with the more than one ofthe user identifiers.
 15. The system of claim 12, wherein thedetermining whether the active user initiated the request for the secondcontent stream further comprises: determining the device identifierassociated with the second device; and if only one of the useridentifiers is associated with the determined device identifier,determining that the only one user identifier is associated with theactive user.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the determining whetherthe active user initiated the request for the second content streamfurther comprises: if more than one of the user identifiers isassociated with the determined device identifier, determining the useridentifier associated with the active user according to a comparison ofthe content of the second content stream to the stored user profilesassociated with the more than one of the user identifiers.
 17. Thesystem of claim 12, wherein the control circuitry is further configuredto: determine the account identifier associated with the request for thesecond content stream; determine the user identifier associated with thedetermined account identifier; determine the user profile associatedwith the determined user identifier; compare the content of the secondcontent stream to the determined user profile to determine whether thecontent of the second content stream matches a content profile of thedetermined user profile; and if the content of the second content streamdoes not match the content profile, determine that the conflict does notexist.
 18. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry isfurther configured to: store a content manifest comprising: the deviceidentifiers of devices playing content streams; and content typeidentifiers of the content streams being played.
 19. The system of claim18: wherein the control circuitry is further configured to store anaudio/video type identifier associated with each of the stored deviceidentifiers of the content manifest, each audio/video type identifierbeing an identifier corresponding to audio only, video only, or audioand video; and wherein the determining whether a conflict exists furthercomprises determining that the conflict exists: when the audio/videotype identifier associated with the first device and the audio/videotype identifier associated with the second device each correspond toaudio only or to audio and video; and when the audio/video typeidentifier associated with the first device and the audio/video typeidentifier associated with the second device each correspond to videoonly or to audio and video.
 20. The system of claim 11, wherein thecontrol circuitry is further configured to: determine whether theconflict is an audio conflict or a video conflict; if the conflict is anaudio conflict, determine whether a secondary audio output is available,and: if a secondary audio output is available, direct an audio signal ofthe first content stream to the secondary audio output; and if asecondary audio output is not available, halt audio output of the firstcontent stream while continuing video output of the first content streamto the first device; and if the conflict is a video conflict, determinewhether a secondary video output is available, and: if a secondary videooutput is available, direct a video signal of the first content streamto the secondary video output; and if a secondary video output is notavailable, halt video output of the first content stream whilecontinuing audio output of the first content stream to the first device.